Reclining chair



J. M. JENSEN RECLINING CHAIR Feb. 17, 1953 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Oct.27, 1947 //W!A 70e Jana M Jmsew ATTOE/VEYJ J. M. JENSEN RECLINING CHAIRFeb. 17, 1953 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Oct. 27, 1947 w 5 Wm 3 y w PatentedFeb. 17, 1953 RECLINING CHAIR Joseph M. Jensen, Oakland, Calif.,assignor to Amanda Jensen; C. Stanley Wood executor of said AmandaJensen, deceased Application October 27, 1947, Serial No. 782,308

4 Claims.

This invention relates to reclining chairs of the type described in mycopending application Serial No. 594,677, now Patent No. 2,616,483, andin general has for its object the provision of a chair wherein the angleassumed between its seat frame and back frame depends upon thedistribution of the weight of the occupant between these two members,and wherein such angle is substantially independent of the weight andsize of the occupant. More specifically the object of this invention isa reclining chair wherein its back frame is articulated to its seatframe by hinge plates piv oted to each other for rotation on an axissubstantially coincident with the line of intersection of the outersides of the seat and back cushions, wherein the back frame hinge platesare pivoted intermediate their ends on a movable fulcrum and wherein theseat frame is fixed against sliding movement with respect to the mainchair frame.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which withthe foregoing will be set forth at length in the following descriptionwhere that form of the invention, which has been selected forillustration in the drawing accompanying and forming a part of thepresent specification, is outlined in full. In said drawing, one form ofthe invention is shown, but is to be understood that it is not limitedto such form, since the invention, as set forth in the claims, may beembodied in a plurality of forms.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an isometric projection of a reclining chair embodying theobjects of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the hinge mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the chair shown in Fig. l, with its backframe in an upright position and with portions thereof broken away tobetter illustrate itsconstruction.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that illustrated in Fig. 3, but showing thechair with its back frame in its fully reclining position.

The chair illustrated in these various figures comprises a main framegenerally designated by the letter A, a seat frame generally designatedby the letter B, a back frame generally designated by the letter C and apair of opposed and identical hinge assemblies generally designated bythe letter 1').

The main frame A includes a base comprising front and back plates 'i'and2 joined to opposed side plates 2 and to form a rectangular base frameand arranged to be supported on feet 5. supported on and securedto thisbase frame. are front and backrails 6 an'd'l, and opposed side rails 8and 9, each provided with a step [0. Se cured to the four corners ofthis assembly are legs ll, I2, 13 and I4 and bridging these two pair oflegs are arm rests l5 and IS. The main frame as so far described is ofmore or less con! ventional construction and can be built up to producechairs of various styling.

The seat frame B includes a front cross meme her 11 hinged along itslowerv rear corner by hinges l8 to the front rail 6 of the main frame.Secured to the ends of the cross member H are side rails I9 and 2! andextending across and secured to the ends of these rails is a rear crossmember 22.

The back rest or frame C includes a pair of side rails 25 and 25 securedat their ends to cross members 23 and 24, and is arranged to be articuslated to the seat frame B by the hinge assemblies D.

Each of the hinge assemblies D includes a rocker 21 formed with anarcuate surface 28 and arranged to rock on the step ill of one of theside rails 8 and 9. Fixed to the outer face of the rocker 21, by a bolt29 and a pin 3|, and forming a rearward extension thereof is a hingeplate 32. The plate 32 is provided at its rear end with an inwardlyextending flange 33 arranged to engage one of the lower corners of theback rest C and to be secured thereto by suitable screws. It istherefore apparent that the back rest C, hinge plates 32 and rockers 21form an integral structure arranged to be supported by the arcuatesurfaces 28 of the rockers on the side rails 8 and 9. Pivoted to the pin3| of each hinge assembly, is a seat rest hinge plate 34 formed at itslower end with a flange 35. The flanges 34 are arranged to support andbe secured to the rear ends of the seat frame side rails l9 and 2!.Screwed to the upper end of eachrocker 21 is a strap hinge 36, andfastened to each of these hinges is the rear end of a coil spring 31,the forward ends of these springs being attached by eye screws 38 totheir associated main frame legs and 13. The seat frame B and back frameC are arranged to carry cushions 39 and 4H, and in this connection itshould be par.- ticularly noted that the length of the hinge plates 32and 34 should be so correlated with the depth of the cushions 39 and 4|,that the line of intersection of the outer faces of the cushions issubstantially coincident with the axis of the pins 31. This relation ofparts is essential in order always to maintain the lower outer edge ofthe back cushion in engagement with the upper rear edge of the seatcushion. The sides of the chair 3 should, of course, be upholstered soas to completely enclose the hinge assemblies and to some extentdetermine the style of the chair.

From a study of Figs. 3, 2 and 4, respectively and diagrammaticallyshowing the hinge assemblies in the upright, intermediate and fullyreclining positions of the chair, it will be observed that when the seatand back frames are moving from the upright position of the chair to itsreclining position, the pins 3| must of necessity swing clockwise aboutthe axis of the hinges l8; the back frame C and its rockers swingcounterclockwis about the axis of the hinges l8; the movement of thisaxle is determined by the configuration of the rockers; and the rockersslip as well as rock on their supporting steps I0. Furthermore, and asis apparent from an inspection of Figures 2, 3 and 4, the back frame Cis always fulcrumed on the rocker at the point of contact between therocker and its supportin step I0. That portion of the hinge plate 32 (orthe rocker) lying between this fulcrum point and the pin 3|, operates asa lever acted on by the rear end of the seat frame B (through the hingeplate 34), and any load placed upon it, to urge the back frame to rotatein a clockwise direction. The effective length of this lever is thedistance between the fulcrum point and the vertical projection of thepin 3| on the step I 0, and this distance varie with the inclination ofthe back frame.

When the occupant of the chair is sitting erect, his entire weight iscarried by the seat frame, there being no substantial portion of hisweight applied to the back frame. Under these conditions, the back frameis held in its upright position solely by the spring 31. From aninspection of Fig. 3 it will be seen that in this position the rocker isfulcrumed at a point directly beneath the pin 3|. As the occupantassumes a partially reclining position the fulcrum point movesrearwardly, and a portion of the occupants weight is placed on the backframe. Under these conditions, that portion of the weight of theoccupant carried by the seat frame is acting on the lever above referredto, to hold the back frame in its then inclined position. If theoccupant assumes a still more reclining position, the length of thilever arm will be increased to compensate for the additional portion ofhis weight then placed on the back frame. Simultaneously, the spring 31also exerts a proportionately greater force, to balance the additionalweight placed on the back frame. It will, therefore, be seen that byresorting to a floating fulcrum the distribution of the occupants weightbetween the seat frame and back fram can be utilized to substantiallybalance these two members at any given position without the necessity ofany mechanism for locking them in any predetermined position. Thisconstruction also makes it possible always to maintain the upper rearedge of the seat cushion in contact with the forward lower edge of theback cushion and to avoid any bodily outward movement of the seat frame.In this upright position of the chair the seat frame B has a substantialrake (forward inclination) whereas in its reclining position it assumesa horizontal position coplanar with the back frame C. If it is desiredto have a portion of the weight of the occupant to assist in holding thechair in its upright position, the rockers 21 can be so formed that thefulcrum point in this position of the chair lies to the rear of the pin3| rather than immediately beneath it.

I claim:

1. A reclining chair comprising: a main frame; a seat frame hinged atits forward end to the front of said main frame; a back frame hinged atits lower end to the rear end of said seat frame; and laterally opposedrockers in rolling contact with and supported by said main frameadjacent the sides thereof and movable in response to the movement ofsaid seat frame for supporting said back frame to the rear of the axisabout which said seat and back frames are hinged, said rockers beingpivotally connected to the lower portion of said back frame.

2. A reclining chair comprising: a main frame including opposed siderails; a seat frame pivoted at its front end to the front of said mainframe; a back rest frame hinged at its lower end to the rear end of saidseat frame and rockers mounted on said back rest frame adjacent itslower end, said rockers being arranged to rock and slide on said siderail and to serve as movable fulcrums for supporting said seat and backrest frames.

3. A reclining chair comprising: a main frame including upstanding armrest; a seat frame hinged at its forward end to the front of said mainframe and arranged to support a seat cushion; upstanding seat framehinge plates fastened to the rear end of said seat frame and arranged tostraddle the rear end of said seat cushion; a back frame disposedbetween said arm rest and arranged to support a back cushion; back framehinge plates secured to the lower end of said back frame and arranged tostraddle the lower end of said back cushion; and a forwardly extendingupstandin rocker fastened to the forward end of each of said back framehinge plates and in rolling contact with and supported on said mainframe within the confines of said arm rests, said rockers being movablein response to the movement of said seat frame, the outer ends of saidseat frame hinge plates and back frame hinge plates being pivotedtogether.

4. A reclining chair comprising: a main frame; a seat frame hinged atits front end to the front end of said main frame; and a back framehinged at its lower end to the rear end of said seat frame and providedadjacent its lower ends with rockers arranged to rock and slide on thesides of said main frame, said rockers constituting fulcrums forsupporting said back frame on a transverse axis intermediate its endsand shiftable fore and aft in response to the distributing of the weightof an occupant of the chair between said seat and back frames.

JOSEPH M. JENSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 58,713 Bragg Oct. 9, 1866 868,052Wilmot Oct. 15, 1907 944,065 Wilmot Dec. 21, 1909 1,014,877 Hoey Jan.16, 1912 1,151,099 Greilick Aug. 24, 1915 1,846,795 Decker Feb. 23, 19322,190,401 Croy Feb. 13, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 278,786Great Britain Oct. 7, 1927

